Charity faces questions over Clapham chemical attack suspect’s funeral

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Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi was allegedly buried under a false name, after a charity raised more than £6,000 by appealing for funds for his funeral.

The Muslim Burial Fund is being looked at by the Fundraising Regulator after a fundraiser reportedly appealed to the public for donations to give Ezedi an Islamic burial under the name “Abdul Wahed”.

The charity claimed he had died “tragically in suspicious circumstances”, with the appeal reaching £6,596 before it removed the advert, The Times reported.

The 35-year-old was found in the River Thames in February hours after he was suspected of throwing a corrosive substance over his former girlfriend and her two young children in Clapham, south London.

His body was recovered from the water after a large manhunt was launched by the Met Police, which saw his last movements traced to Chelsea Bridge.

Ezedi had arrived in the UK from Afghanistan in 2016 and was granted asylum in 2020 after two failed applications, despite being convicted of sexual assault and exposure at Newcastle Crown Court in 2018.

Following the charity’s involvement, The Times reported that he received an Islamic burial in east London, despite claiming at an asylum tribunal that he could not return to his homeland because he had converted to Christianity.

An MBF representative told The Times: “Regardless of any person’s faith, be it Muslim or Christian, if the next of kin decide their loved one wants such and such a burial that’s what will happen. It is not the media who will decide nor the court of public opinion.

“Regardless of the person’s background, whatever they have been accused of doing, whatever their faith, as a charity we will only bury Muslims.”

A spokesperson for the Fundraising Regulator told The Independent: “Since The Times’ article about the Muslim Burial Fund crowdfunder for Abdul Ezedi, under the name Abdul Wahed, the Fundraising Regulator has received complaints.

“As is normal process after a complaint has been made, we will make enquiries of the 13 Rivers Charity.”

The Muslim Burial Fund is a project operated by the 13 Rivers Charity, which is based in Tower Hamlets.